Lupine love
by Jeroro645
Summary: Love is in the air in Tokyo! Valentine's day is fast approaching, but danger lies around the corner. Will Garmr and Moritaka be able to survive and maybe find love? A Housamo fanfic
1. chapter 1

"All right class, listen up! I know valentine's day is soon, but that doesn't give you an excuse to go insane! Mr. Triton stormed in, shouting. The class got quiet immediately. "Your normal math teacher is out today, so I'll be teaching class today. I don't have much planned but I will be passing back your tests." He began walking down the rows, stopping briefly at each desk. Some students groaned and some cheered when they received their test. Garmr watched him, anxiously awaiting his test. His anxiety worsened with each step Mr. Triton took.

When Mr. Triton finally got to him, Garmr quickly grabbed his test, shaking a little. He looked at his test and groaned. "Stupid, stupid Garmr! What would master say?" He heard a voice from behind him. "Garmr-kun! What did you get?" Garmr quickly looked behind him. Moritaka was standing there, holding his test. The number on it was... 95. He hurried to hide his test, but it was too late. Moritaka had already seen it. "You got a 47?" Garmr nodded hesitantly. "Yes, Garmr got a 47. Garmr is not good at math." Moritaka was about to say something but was interrupted by Mr. Triton's booming voice. "Listen up! Your math teacher is allowing you to retake the test on monday if you did badly. I would advise those of you who failed to do so."

Moritaka's eyes lit up! "Garmr you should retake it! You can get a better grade I know it!" Garmr hung his sadly. "Thank you, but Garmr cannot do better. Garmr always fails math tests." "Don't say that. I know you can do better." Moritaka said. "I know you can do well. If you want, I can help you study." Garmr looked up, his eyes glistening with tears. "Moritaka kun would really do that for Garmr? Garmr is very greatful." "Of course I would help! We are friends!"

Moritaka exclaimed! "Do you want to walk home after school together? We can get started at my dorm!" Garmr's tail started wagging. "Garmr is very happy! Garmr may finally pass a math test if Moritaka kun helps him! Moritaka kun is very smart!" Moritaka smiled. "I guess it is settled then? I will prepare my notes to help you!" Just then, the bell rang. "Class is over? I am sorry, but I have to go to my next class. I will see you later today." Garmr was so happy he almost did not realize he had to go to his next class. He hurried off, elated at Moritaka's offer.

The rest of the day was dreary and boring but nothing crushed Garmr's enthusiasm and he remained over the moon for the entire day!


	2. Chapter 2

After his math class, Moritaka walked across campus to his science class. As he entered the classroom, he saw that his teacher wasn't there yet. "Thank goodness," he mumbled to himself. He hurriedly took a seat in the middle of the room and pulled out his textbook, hoping to finish the reading he had neglected last night. He heard footsteps, but ignored them, choosing instead to focus on his textbook.

"Moritaka-kun!" He felt a large mass hug him enthusiastically. "Greetings, Ryouta-kun. It is nice to see you today. Erm…. Could you please let go of me?" Ryouta moved back, unabashed. "So, what are you up to man?" He glanced down at Moritaka's book. "Reading? You're always the model student, haha!" Moritaka glared at him "Yes, and I would like to get back to it, if you do not mind. I was not able to finish the reading we were assigned last class." Ryouta sat down by Moritaka as more students came in. "Don't be so cold, dude!" Moritaka turned away and went back to reading, pointedly ignoring Ryouta's pestering.

Just as he was finishing the chapter, the teacher walked in, breathing heavily. "Sorry I'm late. I lost track of time." The class started snickering quietly. "Now then, we'll be continuing our lesson on the structure of atoms from last class." Moritaka tried to listen, but found his mind wandering. He began to think about how to best prepare Garmr for the math test. "How did father teach me the sword? I'll just start him off with the easy stuff, then work him up to the difficult parts." He thought to himself. Moritaka began to right down what he thought Garmr might need help with.

A sharp voice interrupted his thoughts. "Moritaka!" His head snapped up! "Yes sir?" "Care to tell us the answer to number 10?" Moritaka blushed and looked down. "I am sorry sir. I did not hear the question." The teacher shook his head. "You need to pay more attention Moritaka. I'll repeat the question once. What are the electrons in the outermost level of an atom called?" "I….. do not know sir." He mumbled, embarrassed. The rest of the class started snickering. "Quiet down, everyone! Moritaka, the answer is valence electrons. I want you to see me after class." Class moved on and Moritaka tried his best to pay attention. Eventually, the bell rang, and everyone rushed out. Moritaka left quickly as well, forgetting that the teacher had asked him to stay behind. He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned around to see Ryouta standing there.

"Hey man, you ok?" Moritaka didn't reply for a second. "I….. I am fine." "Are you sure, man? You look upset." "I am fine! Leave me alone Ryouta!" Moritaka pushed Ryouta's hand off his shoulder and stormed off, leaving him standing there, confused. "Stupid teacher, stupid classmates, stupid Ryouta!" Moritaka burst out angrily. He stayed in a foul mood the entire way to his locker. As he was getting his things out, he heard a voice call out behind him. "Moritaka-kun! Garmr is here now! Can help Garmr study!" Moritaka turned around and forced a smile. "Greetings, Garmr-kun." Garmr grabbed his hand and pulled him along. "Moritaka come with Garmr. Help Garmr study." "Garmr-kun, wait! I do not think I can help right actually." Moritaka was about to pull away, but he looked at Garmr's excited face and wagging tail and didn't have the heart to.

Garmr dragged him out of the building and to the dorms. Moritaka was pulled up some steps and lost his grip on his bag, causing some of his papers to spill out. "My notes!" Garmr finally let go of Moritaka's arm and smiled. "Do not worry. Garmr will help you pick them up." Garmr bent down and started picking up papers. As he was doing so, some of them caught his eye. Half completed worksheets and graded work with Fs on them. "Moritaka-kun. Garmr found these papers. Is Moritaka-kun having trouble with science?" Moritaka blushed and stuttered. "I…. I am….. yes." Garmr's tail started wagging. "Garmr is good at science. Can help Moritaka-kun study." Moritaka shook his head. "Thank you Garmr-kun, but I cannot do that. I do not want to put you off. Garmr grabbed Moritaka's hand. "No! Garmr insists! Moritaka-kun and Garmr should have sleep over! He and Garmr can study together and play games all night!" Moritaka blushed. "A sleep over? I do not know. I have never had one before." Garmr grinned. "Garmr wants to. Garmr has extra pajamas and sheets. Will be fun!" Moritaka sighed and rubbed his head. "How could I say no to that face? I will take you up on that, Garmr." Garmr began to dance happily. "Yes! Garmr is excited! Will be first sleepover!" He grabbed Moritaka's hand and pulled him into his dorm room. "What have I gotten myself into?" Moritaka grumbled. "Maybe this could be fun. I will just have to wait and see."


	3. Chapter 3

Garmr's dorm room was very messy, graded assignments, various video game apparatus and manga scattered around on the floor and on a desk. A science textbook was sitting on the nightstand by Garmr's bed and there was a math textbook placed high on a shelf, clearly unused. "Garmr-kun, have you studied for math at all? It does not look like you have opened the book all year." Garmr's tail dropped and he looked at the floor. "Garmr tried. Is gibberish to Garmr." Moritaka sighed. "This is worse than I had thought. You will get nowhere without the book Garmr- kun." Garmr flopped down on his bed, tears bubbling up in his eyes. "Garmr knows, but Garmr cannot do it. Book makes no sense!" Moritaka walked over and pulled the textbook from the shelf. As he was doing so, something caught his eye. "Garmr-kun, you play Super Smash Bros?" Garmr looked up and his tail started wagging. "Yes! Is Garmr's favorite game! Does Moritaka-kun play it?" Moritaka nodded. "Kengo and Ryouta have forced me to on occasion. I am not that good however."

Garmr jumped up excitedly, a smile appearing on his face. "Then Moritaka-kun and Garmr can play together!" He grabbed the case from Moritaka's hands and moved to put it in the console. Moritaka blocked him. "Slow down, Garmr-kun! We're here to study, remember?" Garmr's face fell and he looked to be on the verge of tears once again. "But Garmr wants to play with his friend! Garmr does not get to play together often!" Moritaka took the case from Garmr and set it back where he had found it. "Tell you what. I'll play with you after we study. Come over to the desk." Garmr brightened slightly and walked over to the desk reluctantly. Moritaka had flipped through to the section they were currently working on in class. "Read the explanation at the start of the lesson, then try and do numbers one through ten. I'll help you if you need it." Garmr stared at the page intensely, trying his best to stay focused.

After about ten minutes, he grabbed a sheet of paper and started to write hesitantly. He wrote down the first problem and then looked up at Moritaka, confused. "Garmr does not understand. What does X mean?" Moritaka looked over at the problem. "The X stands for an unknown number. In this case, the goal is to find said number. You want to isolate the X by itself to find the answer. So, in this question, you subtract 2X from 4X to get 2X and then subtract 6 from 12. The inequality should now be 2X=6. Now you just divide 6 by 2 and you get X=3." Garmr looked up, a grin appearing on his face. "Is simple when Moritaka explains it. Book is too complicated." Moritaka sighed in relief and muttered to himself. "He got it. Good." To Garmr, he said "Try and do the rest of them. I will check your answers when you finish. Remember, they do not have to all be right. You can learn more from failure than you can from success." Garmr nodded happily and his tail started wagging.

As Garmr was working, Moritaka discreetly slid the Super Smash Bros disc into the console. He opened the game to the main menu, then went to check on Garmr. "How are you doing over here?" Garmr turned around and grinned. "Garmr is on number six. Garmr is on a roll thanks to Moritaka-kun's help!" Moritaka blushed shyly. "I'm glad I can help. Ask me if you need anything or do not understand something." Moritaka sat on Garmr's bed, thinking about what they should go over next.

After what felt like no time at all, Moritaka heard Garmr calling him. "Moritaka-kun, Moritaka-kun! Garmr finished!" Moritaka quickly walked over to him. "Good job! Let me check over it to see how you did!" Moritaka picked the paper up and looked over it carefully. "You did well, but you got eight and nine wrong." Garmr's tail drooped sadly. "Do not worry. Those were the most difficult ones. Negative numbers work differently than positive numbers and I forgot to explain that. When a number is negative, you add instead of subtracting. Do these two again, keeping that in mind." Moritaka handed the paper back to him and he looked at it, dejected. "Garmr is stupid. Moritaka can do it so easily and Garmr cannot do it at all!" Moritaka put his hand on Garmr's shoulder. "You are not stupid. Not everyone can pick up a new skill right away. Try them again. I am sure you will get them right this time." Garmr turned back to his desk, newfound determination gleaming in his eyes. "If Moritaka-kun says Garmr can do it, Garmr can do it." He put his pen to the paper and started writing quickly. After about two minutes, he stood up and cheered. "Garmr is finished!" Moritaka picked up the paper again and looked at it. "Congratulations Garmr-kun! They are both correct! I am proud of you!" Garmr's tail wagged quickly, creating a small breeze. "Moritaka-kun said Garmr could do it and Moritaka-kun was right!" Garmr pulled Moritaka into a hug. "Garmr is very grateful!" Moritaka blushed and gently pulled away from the hug. "You are welcome. Now, I will keep my word. We can play a game now."

Garmr started dancingly around happily. "Hooray! Garmr gets to spend time with Moritaka-kun! Will be fun!" He flopped to the floor and pulled Moritaka down as well. He excitedly grabbed two controllers and handed one to Moritaka. "Come on, let's play, let's play!" Garmr quickly navigated to the character select screen, picking Link as his character. Moritaka took slightly more time to pick his character, but ultimately ended up going with Robin, the one he was most familiar with. The match started and Garmr started winning immediately. "Garmr-kun, go a little easy on me, will you? I am not as good at this as you are." Garmr looked over and grinned. "Nope! Garmr wants to win! Moritaka will get better through trial by fire!" The match ended with Moritaka's utter defeat. They played several more times, with the same result each time. "I will beat you eventually! I swear it on my pride as one of the Hakkenshi!" Moritaka shouted as they began the sixth. This match was slightly more even than the previous one. Both of them were giving it their all. The battle went back and forth until the smash ball appeared. Garmr and Moritaka both went for it immediately. At first, it wasn't clear who would get it, but Moritaka managed to snag just before Garmr could. He looked over at Garmr and grinned wickedly. "I have got you know!" He activated Robin's final smash and managed to knock Garmr off the stage, narrowly giving him the victory.

The two of them continued to play games all night, both losing some and both winning some. After finishing a game of Monopoly, they both yawned simultaneously. Noticing this, they looked at each other and laughed. Moritaka rubbed his eyes. "We should probably go to sleep. Garmr, you said you have extra pajamas I can borrow?" Garmr nodded and rummaged through his dresser. He pulled out two matching pairs that said BFF on them. Moritaka couldn't help but laugh. "You have matching best friend pajamas?" Garmr started wagging his tail once again. "Garmr does! Got them for himself and Moritaka-kun! Had intended them to be birthday present, but now is just as good a time to give them to Moritaka-kun!" Tears began to form in Moritaka's eyes. "Garmr, I am touched. Not many would think of me like that." Garmr's tail began wagging faster. "Moritaka-kun likes then? Should go and try them on!" Moritaka nodded. "I love them! Thank you Garmr!" He disappeared into the bathroom and pulled them on quickly. When he came out, he found that Garmr had put on his own pair and had laid out a pillow and sheets on the floor for Moritaka to use. Garmr was already laying in his own bed, but he looked over at him and grinned. "It looks good on Moritaka-kun!" Moritaka blushed a deep shade of red. "Thank you again, Garmr-kun." He crawled under the sheets Garmr had put out for him and rolled over to face Garmr to say good night, only to find him already fast asleep. "He is cute." Moritaka thought to himself. Seeing Garmr's peaceful, sleeping face made him drowsy and he was soon fast asleep as well.


	4. Chapter 4

Garmr slept soundly, happy that he was spending time with Moritaka. He woke up early, just as the sun rose and light began to stream through the window. He sat up in bed, stretching and looked over to see that Moritaka was already up. "Moritaka-kun? What are you doing up so early?" Moritaka looked over at him, startled. "Good morning, Garmr-kun! I always awaken early. I enjoy going for walks while the sun is rising." Garmr rolled out of bed, his tail wagging. "Moritaka-kun is very diligent. Garmr does not get up early and is often late." Moritaka blushed "Lots of people get up early. It would be a good habit for you to get into if you wish to start doing better in school." "But Garmr is not able to. Garmr has tried." Moritaka bent down in front of him. "How about you come with me on my morning walk today? It will help you get used to being awake early." Garmr's eyes brightened. "Moritaka-kun would do that for Garmr?!" Moritaka nodded. "Of course! I am always happy to assist a friend."

Garmr stepped forward and hugged him. "Moritaka has done so much for Garmr. Moritaka is nicest person Garmr knows!" Moritaka gently pulled away. "I am just doing what anyone would do. I do not deserve praise." He clapped his hands together. "Now the, you should go get dressed. Wear something warm, it tends to be cold this early." Garmr nodded vigorously and grabbed some clothes and disappeared into his bathroom. While he was in there, Moritaka reached into his bag and pulled out a change of clothes he had brought with him to change into after training yesterday. "I did not get to train yesterday. I shall have to train even harder today to make up for it." Just as Moritaka finished getting dressed, Garmr reappeared from the bathroom. "Are you prepared Garmr-kun?" Garmr started wagging his tail as an affirmation. "Garmr is ready and very happy."

Moritaka walked to the door and opened it quietly. "Remember to be quiet so as to not wake people up." Garmr whispered. "Anything for Moritaka-kun." Together, they quietly slipped out of Garmr's dorm and away from the school. They walked through the city, to a path by a river that Moritaka liked. The sun was just peaking over the horizon, casting a crimson glow on the river that reflected magnificently. Garmr stopped walking and stood there, enthralled by the beauty of it. His tail started wagging and hit Moritaka in the leg several times. "Garmr has never seen such a pretty sight! Is this what Moritaka-kun sees every day?" Moritaka shook his head. I do not see it every day. This is a rare occurrence." Garmr glanced over at him, his eyes shining. "Then Moritaka and Garmr should enjoy this!" He grabbed Moritaka's hand and pulled him down to the river bank. "Ah! Garmr, wait!" Moritaka exclaimed. He almost tripped as Garmr pulled him down the slope. When they reached the bottom, Garmr sat down, pulling Moritaka with him. They both gazed out of the river, humbled by the beautiful sight in front of them. "This is a wonderful sight. You were right to make us stop, Garmr-kun." The two of them sat in silence for a few moments, until Moritaka felt a weight on his shoulder. He looked over to see Garmr laying his head on his shoulder, eyes closed with a happy grin on his face. "He fell asleep? That is cute." After a few minutes of enjoying Garmr's warmth, Moritaka gently pushed him off his body and stood up. "I had best get him back to the dorm." He gently picked Garmr up and put him on his back. He walked slowly back to the dorms, enjoying the quiet atmosphere of the morning. When he arrived back at the school, the other students were just starting to wake up. Moritaka pushed open the door to Garmr's dorm and lay him down on his bed, taking a few seconds to smile at Garmr's happy sleeping face. He then quietly slipped out, shutting the door behind him and hurried off to his own dorm to get ready for his day.


	5. Chapter 5

While Moritaka and Garmr were having their sleepover, Tadatomo was carefully moving through Ikebukuro's back alleys, tracking one of his marks. He had no idea who he was chasing, but the one who had hired him had offered a handsome sum for the man's head. All Tadatomo had was an old picture of the person. Of course, that was more than enough. He was an old looking bull transient. According to the man who hired him, he was very dangerous. Tadatomo had been on the man's trail for hours, waiting for the perfect time to strike. He could sense that the right moment was getting closer. The transient turned a corner into what Tadatomo knew was a dead end.

He waited a few seconds, then walked forward carefully, his weapons at the ready. As soon as he saw the bull, Tadatomo lunged forward, unwilling to let his prey get the upper hand. However, as he did so, there was a strange distortion in the air and the bull disappeared. Tadatomo felt a sharp pain in his gut and his vision started to go black. The last things he heard were the sound of fighting and a voice calling his name.

Tadatomo was out for what felt like days, repeatedly reliving his last few moments of consciousness, from when his prey turned the corner to when he passed out. After hundreds of repetitions of this, he felt a cold hand on his shoulder, gently shaking him. His body felt like it was on fire, but the cold touch lessened the searing pain. He tried to open his eyes, but immediately shut them again, as there were bright lights that had stung them. He again heard a voice calling his name, the same one from before he had lost consciousness.

"Tadatomo! Tadatomo, are you alright?!" He again opened his eyes, finding it easier to see this time. He saw a large white wolf standing over him, eyes full of concern. "Horkeukamuy? What are you doing? Where are we?" Kamuy smiled, the concern in his eyes vanishing. "We are in my room in the Ikebukuro guild. We should be safe here." Tadatomo growled and tried to stand up, but a wave of fatigue washed over him as he did so. "Why did you save me?" he demanded. A look of rage appeared on Kamuy's face. "The man who you were hunting had come to the Ikebukuro guild, beaten every one of us, then vanished after proclaiming that we need to prepare for war. I immediately set out after him, hoping to get some answers but when I caught up to him, you were at his feet, on the verge of death. It was either save you or attempt to apprehend him."

Tadatomo snarled. "He was my prey. I could've handled him myself." Kamuy looked at him strangely, as if he were about to laugh. "He defeated every one of the Ikebukuro berserkers. You would've only gotten yourself killed." Tadatomo was about to snap back but realized Kamuy was correct. Seeing this he decided to continue talking. "Why were you hunting him? He should've been of no concern to you." Tadatomo hesitated before replying, unwilling to spill details about his work. "I was hired to kill him. Someone with a lot of money wanted him dead. Don't ask me who he was, because I don't know. All I was told is that he was wanted dead."

"I see. Do you know where to find this man?" "Beats me." Tadatomo replied. "He said that if I was successful, he'd find me." Tadatomo looked around again and tried to stand up once more. He managed to this time but was stopped by Kamuy. "What are you doing?! You need to rest!" "I've been here long enough!" Tadatomo snarled! He pushed past Kamuy and stomped to the door of the room and tried to pull it open but felt his head begin to spin as he did so. He tried to stay standing but his legs buckled beneath him and everything went black once more. Kamuy sighed and carried Tadatomo back to his bed and sat down to wait for him to regain consciousness again, all the while pondering the implications of the days events.


	6. Chapter 6

Garmr was at the Ikebukuro colosseum again, serving as the guard dog for the berserkers once more. He watched people come and go, occasionally having to stop people from entering. For the most part, he was just twiddling his thumbs, bored and waiting for the day to be over. The rare times when he had to stop someone from entering were the only exciting parts of his job. Still, ever the loyal canine, he performed his task admirably.

At around noon, he saw Moritaka approaching, wearing his kendo clothes with a wooden sword at his side. As Moritaka walked closer, Garmr's tail began to wag uncontrollably. Moritaka noticed this and walked closer, a smile on his face. "Greetings, Garmr-kun! How does this fine day find you?" "Garmr is doing amazing now that Moritaka-kun is here!" He replied eagerly. Moritaka walked up to Garmr, blushing at his praise. "It is good to see you. As much as I would like to stay and talk, I have training to do today." At Moritaka's words, Garmr's face fell. Seeing this, Moritaka hastened to reassure him. "Do not be sad, Garmr-kun. We can spend time together later today if you wish it." As he walked by Garmr into the colosseum, Moritaka pet him on the head, causing Garmr's tail to start moving madly, almost of its own accord. Garmr beamed after him, delighted at the thought of spending more time with his friend.

Garmr stood alone until the sun started to set, when Kamuy and a wolf he had never seen before came walking out from the colosseum. The strange wolf was limping and leaning on Kamuy, although he was clearly trying to hide it. Garmr was about to ask what they were doing when the unknown wolf turned and glared at him, clearly saying "Do not ask." Not understanding, Garmr was about to ask but as he began to speak the two of them turned a corner and vanished. Garmr wanted to follow them but was lacked permission to leave his position.

Forced to wait quietly once more, Garmr stayed in front of the colosseum, hoping that Kamuy would return. However, the sun began to sink lower and lower and eventually vanished from view entirely and there was still no sign of the two wolves. The time when Garmr was allowed to leave came, but he waited a little longer in the hopes that something would happen. Several uneventful minutes passed and Garmr was about to leave when he heard footsteps and panting behind. He quickly turned around and saw Moritaka there, panting and drenched in sweat. He had a worried but also pleased look on his face. As soon as Garmr saw Moritaka, he ran up and tackled him, his tail wagging. He collided with him face first knocking them both to ground. Garmr hugged Moritaka, not caring about how sweaty he was. "MORITAKA-KUN!" He yelled excitedly. Startled and out of breath, Moritaka stood up and pushed Garmr off of him. "What are you doing, Garmr?!" he yelled, angrily.

Garmr moved away, his tail tucking itself between his legs. "Garmr is happy to see Moritaka. Lost control of himself." He muttered, looking down." Moritaka hesitated for a few seconds before replying, remorse clearly showing on his face. "I am sorry, Garmr-kun. I should not have pushed you away. I was just on edge." Puzzlement flashed across Garmr's face. "Why was Moritaka-kun worried?" Garmr's words reminded Moritaka even more of what he had been told and alarm appeared on his face. "Were you not informed what happened here?" He inquired, confused. Garmr shook his head slowly. "Garmr does not know. Has not been inside colosseum today. Master Claude forbade it."

Slowly, Moritaka began speaking. "Late last night, someone invaded Ikebukuro colosseum. He destroyed the arena and defeated every fighter quickly, even subduing Macan with ease. He then disappeared with the warning that things are about to change. Many of the guild members left and those who remained spent the day picking up the pieces of the attack and wondering about its implications. There was a pervasive air of anxiety and we were all left on edge. Throughout the day, several theories were proposed as why the attack happened but ultimately we have no idea who the man was or what he wanted." Garmr raised his head, a look of understanding spreading across his face. "Garmr saw Kamuy and someone he does not know leave earlier. Does Moritaka know what Kamuy was doing?" Moritaka shook his head. "Unfortunately, I do not. I was not even aware he was here. However, he may have gone after the assailant." The same expression of alarm that Moritaka had now appeared on Garmr's face. "But… but Kamuy can't beat him! Will die!" Tears began to stream done his face and he seemed to shrink slightly.

Seeing Garmr's fear, Moritaka took a step forward and placed his hand on the other canine's shoulder. "Fear not. Kamuy is one of the strongest warriors of the Ikebukuro guild. I am confident that he will survive." Moritaka said confidently, trying to mask his own fear. Garmr looked at Moritaka and buried his face in his shoulder crying. "But Garmr is scared. What if Kamuy dies?" Moritaka started rubbing Garmr's back, doing his best to console him. "It will be alright. Tell you what. You can stay at my dorm tonight if it will make you feel better." Garmr looked up his face wet with tears but he nodded slowly and a small grin broke out on his face.

Moritaka took Garmr's hand, having resolved to do everything he could to console the scared canine. He guided him back to school, his sword drawn. All the while, he was trying to hide his own fear and conceal that he was doing this to alleviate his fears just as much as Garmr's by putting on a brave face. The two of them slowly walked up the steps to Moritaka's dorm and he carefully pulled open the door and ushered Garmr inside, making sure to lock the door behind them. His fear slightly alleviated by the familiar surroundings of his home, Moritaka walked to his dresser and pulled out two pairs of pajamas, one for him and one for Garmr. As he handed the pajamas to Garmr, the canine spoke for the first time since they had left Ikebukuro. "Moritaka-kun? Garmr is still scared? Can he and Moritaka-kun sleep together?" Moritaka was slightly taken aback by Garmr's sudden request, but he answered quickly. "If it would make you feel better, then of course." Moritaka was secretly glad for this as it would make him feel safer and less scared as well. The two of them carefully settled into Moritaka's bed, both feeling comforted by the presence of the other. Despite that comfort, neither of them slept much, both occasionally whispering to the other, looking for reassurance and strength. They both finally fell asleep around one am, their arms draped over each other. The alien atmosphere was soon broken by the rays of the sun, which seemed to bring calm and strength with them.


End file.
